In 2018 Harford County Climate Action worked steadily at the personal, community and policy level to encourage meaningful actions to reduce our impact on the environment, espsecially our carbon footprint!

WATCH this marvelous retrospective of the year that was:

Annual Review 2018 (as read at the Annual Meeting, November 2018)

This year, HCCA has done 3 of our required 4 “Adopt-a-Road” Clean-Ups of Moores Mill Rd. A few of us will go over to do one more before New Years!

We partnered with the Havre de Grace Green Team and Together We Will Upper Chesapeake on a number of events. First, we cosponsored films “Beautiful Swimmers” and “An Inconvenient Sequel” at the Maritime Museum. We also collaborated on the Independence Day Parade in Havre de Grace. Our float focused on plastic pollution, and won first place for non-profits with a float!

We took the lead in bringing the film “High Tide in Dorchester” to Havre de Grace, along with film director Sandy Cannon-Brown. The Havre de Grace Opera and Green Team took an important role in advertising the event, and HCCA’s Fawn Palmer and Alison Kinney did a live radio interview on 104.7 Smash Hits. Total attendance for the event was a whopping 177, our largest event so far!

HCCA continued to advocate for state legislation against plastic pollution and for increases to the state’s production of energy from renewable and clean sources. Two teams went to Annapolis to lobby, including Steve Preston, Lakshmi Tadepalli, Fawn Palmer, Liz Lee and Mark Patro. Fawn Palmer attended the hearing on the Maryland Clean Energy Jobs Act. Pam and Aravinda spoke at rallies. Pam was arrested. Many of you made phone calls, wrote letters to the editor (Steve’s got published in the Sun!), and wrote to representatives in Annapolis. Members opposed the western Maryland Potomac Pipeline. We met with Delegate Lisanti in January, and lobbied in Annapolis later in the spring. Delegate Lisanti began unsupportive of the 50% Renewable Energy Bill, but did change her position after we met with her twice. However, none of the legislation passed!

Pam Dehmer and Hannah Hazeltine attended the Bel Air Sustainability Committee Meeting. Hannah, Pam and Steve are presently working on suggestions for the 2019-2024 Sustainability Plan.

One of our most exciting actions this year wasn’t planned. County Council President Slutzky went on a rant in his final months on the council, claiming that climate change wasn’t real and citing conspiracy theories about the United Nations using climate change to justify its “real” goal: to redistribute U.S. wealth to third world countries. We had to respond, and came out en force at the next County Council Meeting. After that meeting, we asked Mr Slutzky for a private discussion to follow-up on the issue. Deanna Killoran, Tracey Waite, and Sandy Gibbons had a 2 hour discussion with Mr. Slutzky, who subsequently invited HCCA to do a presentation to the whole council. On April 17, Lakshmi Tadepalli, Fawn Palmer and Tracey Waite did that presentation, which was well-received and well-covered by the Aegis.

Before the mid-term primaries, HCCA mailed a letter to over 90 local candidates for municipal, county, state and national office. Each candidate was invited to “High Tide in Dorchester,” and each was asked if they would sign a 350.org supported pledge that they would not accept campaign donations from fossil fuel producing companies, PACs, etc. A candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives and several County Council candidates signed.

Over the 4 years of our existence, we have become known to municipal, county and state reps.

Our presence has been magnified through Aravinda Pillalamarri’s videos. Speaking of special contributions, the voices of our youngest members have amplified our message: Aarnav, Khiyali, and Alison.

Pam Dehmer has led our efforts to oppose the Eastern Shore Pipeline, doing some outreach in Cecil County and staying in touch with Brooke Harper at CCAN and Cristi Demnowicz of NoESPL.

Educating local citizens continued through tabling at the World Wetlands Day at Anita Leight, Earth Day at Anita Leight, Earth Day in Aberdeen, and First Friday in Havre de Grace. Outstanding monthly plastics displays have made the rounds to each public library branch.

HCCA purchased 50 canvas bags from a women’s collective in Association for Indian Development (AID). These bags have 5-6 interior pockets, eliminating the need for two kinds of single-use shopping bags. They also have the HCCA logo!

We supported two national mobilizations, first 350.org’s Climate, Jobs and Justice Mobilization in Baltimore, and then “Our Children’s Trust” mobilization to support the Trial of the Century, Juliana v US, on October 28. Bravo to Pam, Imani, Carol and John Zimmerman for attending the Climate, Jobs and Justice Mobilization, and to almost all of HCCA for the Children’s Trust Rally in Bel Air!

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Next Meeting and Other Upcoming Events

2020 HCCA Membership Meetings are on the third Wednesday of each month (except November and December) from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at 12 Medstar Blvd, Bel Air, MD. We normally meet in the first floor conference room of MedStar Health, but COVID-19 restrictions have moved us on-line. Email hcclimateaction@gmail.com for the link.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 20, 6-8 p.m: There will be a virtual meeting.